Autopack has entered a strategic partnership with Italian equipment manufacturer Weightpack, giving UK food, drink, chemical, cleaning and personal care manufacturers direct access to advanced net weight filling and capping technology that improves fill accuracy and reduces product giveaway on production lines.

The partnership combines Weightpack's net weight filling systems, engineered for accuracy and hygiene across products from thin, free-flowing liquids to viscous products such as peanut butter, with Autopack's UK market knowledge, engineering expertise and after-sales support.

The technology is adaptable to a wide range of closures, including screw caps, flip-top caps, pump dispensers and spray triggers, allowing manufacturers to run multiple product formats on the same line and respond faster to changing market demand.

UK customers will benefit from local commercial advice, faster access to spare parts, and joint training and on-site service from both companies' technical teams to maximise uptime.

Autopack, founded by Wayne Kedward in 2012 and based in Hereford, is one of the UK's leading suppliers and integrators of filling and packaging machinery for the food, drink, chemical, cleaning and personal care sectors.

Weightpack, based in Goito, Italy, designs and manufactures net weight filling and capping machinery for food and non-food industries, building on net weight filling technology the company's founder introduced in 1979.

Jonathon Stewart, UK sales director at Autopack, said Weightpack adds a proven, high-quality net weight filling solution to the company's portfolio, strengthening its ability to support customers seeking accuracy, flexibility and long-term reliability.

The partnership reflects a wider pattern of UK packaging integrators teaming with specialist continental manufacturers rather than developing proprietary filling technology in-house, giving mid-market manufacturers faster access to precision equipment.

The timing aligns with steady growth in UK packaging machinery, with the market projected to grow from $2.2 billion in 2025 to $2.79 billion by 2033, filling remaining the largest revenue-generating machine type.

Precision filling and flexible closure handling are becoming meaningful margin levers for manufacturers, since reducing product giveaway on high-volume lines directly lowers raw material costs without new capital investment.

For the sector, the arrangement signals that international machinery partnerships are becoming the default route for UK integrators to keep pace with precision-filling demand, rather than each supplier attempting to build proprietary technology alone.

Source: SelectScience / Packaging News / Grand View Research